LIVERPOOL City Council is set to freeze Council Tax for the fourth year.

Council leader Mike Storey has re-affirmed his commitment after it was revealed that 60% of people who have been consulted about possible increases have said they do not want a rise.

But it has also emerged that just 200 people from an electorate of 340,000 have voiced their opinions.

If the council is to stick to its pledge it will be forced to find millions of pounds worth of savings.

Cuts totalling #4.5m will have to be made from the council's #560m annual budget as a result of the 11% increase in the police precept which was announced last week.

And it is anticipated that even more savings will have to be made when the fire authority announces its precept next Thursday.

Council chiefs are claiming, however, that these will not be "wholesale cuts."

A spokesman added: "We will be exploring ways of doing things differently which will bring in the savings which we need.

"We are doing everything we can to keep Council Tax as low as possible.

Obviously the massive increase in the police precept makes life more difficult." Labour leaders in Liverpool have this morning described the exercise as a "complete farce."

Questionnaires have been handed out at area committee meetings urging people to give their views on the Council Tax.

People were given four choices: >* Council Tax freeze.* An increase of 1% which the council claims will allow an extra #1.3m to be spent on services.* An increase of 3% which the council claims will allow an additional #3.9m tobe invested in services.* An increase of 5% enabling an extra #6.5m to be spent on services.From the people who attended the area committees, 60% have said they want a Council Tax freeze.

The remainder said an increase "might be" acceptable depending upon theservices which would be provided.

Cllr Ben-Tovim said: "This was a Mickey Mouse consultation. The number of people who turned out to give their views proves this.

"It has been obvious all along that Council Tax can be held down again this year thanks to the above inflation settlement of 4% which has been given to the council from the Government."

But council leader Mike Storey added that the Government's settlement is calculated on the basis that council tax will rise by 5.5%.

Cllr Storey added: "To just say how easy everything is, is just a nonsense. We did not want to spend hundreds of pounds consulting everyone.

"By law we have to consult and we believed the easiest, cheapest and most effective way of consultation was to use the area committees. Everyone who wishes to attend these can."

A spokesman for Liverpool City Council added that the number of residents at the meetings was "limited and unlikely to be statistically representative of the city's population."